Watching Lansing change

As a lifelong resident of Lansing, Hazel Brown has seen a lot of changes in her hometown.

The manager of Reifschneider clinic in Leavenworth remembers when Lansing had something resembling a downtown, before Main Street became a highway, with a doctor's office, a grocery store, a drugstore and a barbershop on the block across from the penitentiary.

"That was the beginning of the end" of the old, rural Lansing, Brown said of Main Street's transformation in the late 1960s.

Of course, Lansing has grown a lot since then, with all of the advantages and disadvantages that come with going from a rural small town to a metropolitan-area bedroom community.

There's less of a small-town feel, Brown says, but there's more services, such as police and trash disposal.

Like many people, Brown's favorite leisure pursuit is directly tied to a retirement dream she shares with her husband, Timothy: to work in Rocky Mountain National Park as trail guides. Brown said she didn't know if the dream is any more than that, but she has several years to plan for it before retiring at her ideal age of 62.

Having lived in Lansing her whole life, Brown said it was "hard to go anywhere without seeing someone you know." She still keeps in contact with friends from her childhood, including one who attended first grade with her.

Name: Hazel Brown

Address: 16259 Eisenhower Road

Occupation: Practice manager, The Reifschneider Eye Center

Family (spouse, children): spouse, Timothy; sons, T.J. and Trey

How long have you lived in Lansing and what brought you here? I grew up in Lansing.

What do you like most about Lansing? The small-town atmosphere, and Lansing is my hometown.

What do you do for fun?

My husband and I enjoy hiking in the mountains and spending time with friends and family (especially the grandchildren).

What would surprise people about you? After retirement I want to spend summers working for the National Park Service in the Rocky Mountain National Park at Estes Park, Colo.

What's the best advice you ever received? The values of hard work, commitment and honestly instilled by my parents and grandparents.

What organizations or clubs do you belong to? American Academy of Ophthalmic Executives, American Society of Ophthalmic Administrators, American Academy of Professional Coders, and the Women's Division of the Chamber of Commerce